Gene K

On your next Has kit, cut the edges of the ailerons, then lightly score the top hinge line, and heavily score the bottom hinge line, creating a shallow trough. Then carefully bend the aileron down "just a tad". That process will save you having to build up the aileron leading edge and reattaching, the result being a smooth transition between the top wing and aileron ... leaving only a white plastic stress line as evidence. That process will also work with your new FM kit, but it's simpler because the aileron edges as presented in the kit are almost cut all the way through! GeneK

Since his seat is closer to the CG, there is less of a moment arm, so the GIB has fewer Gs . Problem is, in the heat of battle, he never knows when they're coming ... but the rubber radar hood is a convenient face-down helmet resting place. Gene K

OK, here ... It's an important Crew Coordination effort - the back seater needs to do the same reset! Gene K

The flaps would normally be up - it's a locked position vice the free drooping ailerons and speed brakes. There could be a condition where the crew chief may have asked the pilot to lower the flaps before shut down, and the flaps would then be in either half or full down position before start. But that would be unusual (except in Germany where flaps were routinely lowered before shutdown). As Giorgio pointed out, since the airplanes were flown ALOT, there would be little idle time for the ailerons to droop much. How much? Maybe 2-3mm in 1/72? "Depends" ... One item that you could rectify is the lack of Aux Air Doors on the Hasegawa kits. These are fully open anytime the gear handle is in the down position. Simply cut the doors out and fabricate new ones (interior is extremely hard to see so a little relief could be inserted ... or on the next model, get these.) You can use your FM kit as reference. Not that it would help since you've already done an excellent job re-scribing the fuselage top, but if you do another Hasegawa Phantom, this handy tool is worth considering - comes in 1/72 and 1/48 for both USN and USAF kits. Also available at Hobby Search, for example, here's the USN 1/72 version. Gene K

Giorgio, You need to reset the G meter in both cockpits since they show the aircraft was Over-G'd. Gene K

Are we mixing up bulged wings (to house the fatter tires) with antenna housing "bumps" under the wings that Johnson referred to? All the Hasegawa B/N models I've had/have (quite a few) ALL have the thin wings that also have the Antenna housings (Sprue B). If you go to the Hobby Search web site and search for "1/72 Hasegawa phantom), you'll get a listing which, if you expand a specific model, will show details for that kit, including sprues ... like this. Gene K

I've been removing those "bumps" for the last 31 years when building Hasegawa 1/72 USAF Phantoms. The wing section with the "bumps" (sprue C) is common to ALL Hasegawa kits except the F-4B/N (thin wings - Sprue B ) and the RF-4B (has both Sprues B and C). As an aside, the shape of the antennas actually differed between models and timeframe, but that's going off topic ... and I'm trying to keep off the bad boy list . I think you may enjoy this excellent three part F-4C Conversion (from 1/48 Tamiya F-4B to Old's F-4C). Good reference pictures. Use Chrome and right click to Translate. Gene K

Actually, I use .010", so must have has a slip of the brain when I said .015". Great job, especially on the compressor faces. Gene K

Loren, It's apparent from the Sea Dart that you are a Resin Master Builder. Unfortunately, it turns out that I'm a Resin Master Collector, my Collect-AIre stash being 17, mainly those patterned by the Russian. Pin holes in the newer resin aren't a factor, but thin pieces like wing strakes are fragile. In that regard, after your post I whiffed the Russian's FJ-3 Fury (the one that Kitty Hawk "referenced" for their kit), and both my kits are blemish free, one in the old dark resin, and the other in the more pleasing light tan. Sorry to stray off topic. Gene K

@Martian thanks for the seaplane education. @LorenSharp Really appreciating the skills you applied to this challenging kit! Lest anyone get a bad impression of Collect-Aire -- the Sea Dart is one of the earlier (1995?) kits from Lou Maglio, Mr. Collect AIre. He initially (1990?) used different pattern makers and European resin casters before settling in with a superb Russian around 1998 (or so) whose patterns were cast in the US. The Russian-patterned kits are very good - one can check with Mr. Google, of course, but a good starting point for those interested in "researching" Collect AIre is here at Scalemates. Check out the superb builds by Fotios Rauch there! Gene K

Being American ... a trot is what a horse does ... or what a human does after consuming too much spicy Mexican food. Google wasn't much help. Gene

Gene K

With all respect, Chris, "In the eye of the beholder". I thought the art was hideous and it made me wonder if the contents would live up to it. Gene K

Check PM. The Silhouette file is ready to post, but I'll wait until I add some other goodies. You can download the scale SVG here, and below is a thumbnail (which is NOT to scale). I laminated two .015" plastic pieces and sanded to shape. Still shaking my head at FineMolds' frustrating omissions! Gene K